, an Epiphany Hymn #517 in 1940 Hymnal
28 January 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; 36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. (Gospel of St Matthew 14:35-36)
This meditative hymn was composed for the Chapel of Kings College Hospital in 1864 by Edward Hayes Plumptre. It represents a plaintive appeal to the power of the Lord in present days as well as those of old. Of course, the writer recognizes that the arm of the Lord is not shortened in time or space. He is the same Almighty God yesterday, today, and forever. The tune is that of St. Matthew solemnly sung.
Click here to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAUQ8Z-W9bA
- THINE ARM, O LORD, IN DAYS OF OLD
1 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old
was strong to heal and save;
it triumphed o’er disease and death,
o’er darkness and the grave:
to thee they went, the deaf, the dumb,
the palsied and the lame,
the beggar with his sightless eyes,
the sick with fevered frame.
2 And lo, thy touch brought life and health,
gave speech and strength and sight;
and youth renewed and frenzy calmed
owned thee, the Lord of light:
and now, O Lord, be near to bless,
almighty as of yore,
in crowded street, by restless couch,
as by Gennesareth’s shore.
3 Be thou our great deliverer still,
thou Lord of life and death;
restore and quicken, soothe and bless,
with thine almighty breath:
to hands that work, and eyes that see,
give wisdom’s heavenly lore,
that whole and sick, and weak and strong,
may praise thee evermore.
1 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old was strong to heal and save; it triumphed o’er disease and death, o’er darkness and the grave: to thee they went, the deaf, the dumb, the palsied and the lame, the beggar with his sightless eyes, the sick with fevered frame. I consider it worthy of note that our Lord never recoiled from approaching the sick, lame and diseased lepers of His time – a time in which no man would deign to associate with them. But Christ is like no other man. His love and compassion exceeds that of the blue seas and the purple canopy of Heaven. It was that love that compelled Him to heal all that came into His purview. The arm that healed lepers, restored sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, and cast out devils was the same arm that over-arched the Red Sea to allow the Children of Israel to cross over on dry ground. That strong arm is still in the business of performing miracles even if the sin-laden souls of men cannot recognize them. What force is it that limits the ocean tides, that brings rain and snow from heaven, and that perpetuates the heavenly bodies in their orbits? It is the unseen and mighty Arm of the Lord.
2 And lo, thy touch brought life and health, gave speech and strength and sight; and youth renewed and frenzy calmed owned thee, the Lord of light: and now, O Lord, be near to bless, almighty as of yore, in crowded street, by restless couch, as by Gennesareth’s shore. We are amazed to read of the Lord’s miracles in restoring sight to the blind, speech to the mute, hearing to the dumb, and life to the dead; but why are we not equally, or more so, amazed at that mighty Creator who has given sight to the newborn babe, or health and strength to the mighty warrior? He has not changed – He still rules in the Heavens and upon the sandy shores of Galilee (Gennesareth). In the solitude of twilight we feel His love and warm presence. IT is far more evidenced at such quiet moments than in the commercial and political activities of the noon day hour. He prefers to come to us at the moment in which He can demand our total attention. Sometimes those moments are ones of grief, of abandonment, and of great loss. At those time, we are able to focus on His grace and favor usward.
3 Be thou our great deliverer still, thou Lord of life and death; restore and quicken, soothe and bless, with thine almighty breath: to hands that work, and eyes that see, give wisdom’s heavenly lore, that whole and sick, and weak and strong, may praise thee evermore. The mysteries of the works of God are unknown to man. The same power that raised Jonah from the waters of the deep are the same that cast him into the sea at the beginning. But we find God’s mighty wisdom and works in both. Our lives are like unto those experienced by men and women of old. Quite often we pray for a deliverance from some evil influence and, when that deliverance it granted, we forget that we had besought God at the beginning for the remedy. God means the same thing to the rich and mighty as to the poor and weak; however, it is far more difficult for the rich to take their eyes off their wealth than for the poor to reach up to God, their last hope of salvation. In a strange way, the poor are far richer than the wealthy under such circumstances.